Tak's Revenge
by Foxwing
Summary: Tak is back, but this time it is about revenge... Meet my chracters; Kat, Tera and Zag as they join Tak against Zim. But something unexpected happens... (ZADF and ZA)R) My second fanfic, so yay R & R please! Chapter 6 now up!
1. Tak Imprisoned

_Ok, welcome to my second fanfic! I'd just like to say thanks to all the people who read and reviewed my last story 'Lonely', so thanks!!! I've been looking forwards to starting on this story. I guess it's kinda like a sequel to 'Tak: the hideous new girl' (my favourite episode). I found it kinda hard to get this story started, but now I think I've got sorted what's going to happen, so I will update as soon as possible, but school is demanding at the moment. Anyway, please read and enjoy!_

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**Chapter 1**

**Tak Imprisoned**

Tak cringed as her escape pod crashed violently into another ship. It was an irken vessel from Food Courtia, which happened to be shipping snacks to the Massive. As she was pulled from the wreckage into the glare of bright light, she realised just how injured she was.

She had been drifting into space for months since Zim had destroyed her ship. Although Irkens can survive a lot longer than humans can without any food or water, she was still severely dehydrated and starving, along with her now worsened injuries.

Her arm seriously needed treating, and she could barely stand from her bruised body. Almost as soon as she was dragged into the Snacky Cab, she felt the room spinning at an alarming speed.

She desperately tried to keep her self from hurling, holding her eyes tight shut, and leaning against the floor. Despite her efforts, within seconds she had passed out, her body falling limp on the cold floor.

The irkens surrounding her poked at the unconscious figure, utterly bewildered at what they had just experienced.

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Zim had been on earth ten months now, and he was still no closer to conquering Earth as the Tallest were to getting rid of him.

He scribbled his latest plan furiously onto a scrap of paper whilst Dib glared at him from the opposite side of the classroom, itching to know what he was up to this time. They both jumped as Ms Bitters slammed her pale hand down on Zim's desk with tremendous force.

"Writing notes in class Zim?" her face twitched in pure annoyance.

Zim looked at her and smiled nervously. "Errrr, taking notes on the lecture!" he lied (badly).

"Notes on the lecture huh?" She tore the note from Zim's hand. "I don't remember saying anything about hypnotised squirrels with genetically infused lasers on their heads!" she was fuming now.

"Hypnotised-Squirrels-laser heads?" Dib sniggered. He burst out laughing. "Man Zim! Your plans are more pathetic than normal!"

"Insolent fool boy! With my genetically modified squirrels of DOOM, I shall rain pure misery on this spinning ball of pathetic human FILTH!" Zim became aware of the entire class staring at him. Suddenly everyone burst out laughing- everyone apart from Ms Bitters.

"That's it Zim! You get double homework and detention for a week!" She hissed.

"But...I-"Zim whimpered- he didn't know the first thing about human subjects of learning.

"NO EXCUSES!" She barked as the bell rang. Everyone rushed out apart from Zim, who would now be starting his first doomed detention experience.

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When Tak awoke, she found herself lying in a strange room. She stiffly sat up, wincing at the pain in her bruised limbs. She could tell that she had been treated though- she could no longer feel the severe pain in her arm, and she was no longer tortured by dehydration and hunger.

As she stood shakily up, she realised her tender body was not so bad- she was just stiff from the way she'd been sleeping. The next thing she panicked about was where she was, and how long she'd been unconscious.

She slipped cautiously out of the small room, and found herself in a long narrow corridor.

"You're finally awake!" she jumped around sharply. An irken guard walked up to her. "Where do you think you're going? The Tallest want to see you." He said cold-heartedly.

Then Tak realised where she was. She had been taken to the Massive, and now her almighty leaders wanted to speak with her. Finally she would be able to tell them of Zim's stupidity and how he had destroyed her masterful 'snack plan'.

Proudly she followed the guard down the endless passage, until at last they came to the mighty control centre at the front of the ship.

"Wait here." The guard said firmly as they entered the large room. The Tallest sat in the centre, scoffing donuts greedily, whilst yelling at the transmission screen.

"Well you should have tried harder!" Purple shouted, spraying donut crumbs everywhere.

"Uh, pummel him." Red said impatiently. "End transmission." The screen flickered off, just as Invader Spleen received a hefty blow from a large mallet thing.

"My Tallest." The guard approached, saluting his superiors. "Tak has awoken."

"Well what are you waiting for? Send her in!" Purple yelled impatiently. Tak was shoved forwards as the guard ran for cover.

"My Tallest! At last I can tell you of the impertinence of that dreadful Zim. He actually-"

"Tak, you are here to be sentenced!" Red interrupted.

"Sentenced? For WHAT?"

"For failing to rid us of Zim, and failure to deliver promised large quantities of snacks!" Purple roared.

"But...but...He destroyed everything!" Tak couldn't believe what was happening.

"Enough! You have not fulfilled your promise to us, and you blame Zim?" Red questioned. "And you wanted us to make you an invader? You can't even defeat the most pathetic irken in history. Truly you don't expect us to believe that this proves you worthy as an invader?"

Tak had to admit; it looked bad. She was lost for words. She knew she was doomed.

"Now, what do you think is a suitable punishment?" Red asked Purple teasingly.

"Well, I would have her imprisoned for life!"

"Yes! TAK! You, shall be imprisoned at Planet Vort, and shall live the rest of your pitiful life there until you wither away from existence!" Red grinned evilly (he loved this part of the job).

"No, you can't do this to me!" Tak cried helplessly as two guards grabbed her arms roughly and began to drag her out. "I am loyal to you! I-"The original guard gagged her, and slammed the door behind them.

"That was good." Purple mused. "Next time it's mine turn to do that last sentence of doom. Now lets go eat food."


	2. Zag's Story

_Thanks for the reviews! Sorry this took so long, but my computers had some problems with Microsoft Word, which was really annoying. Anyway... I only own the character Zag in this chapter. Enjoy!_

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Chapter 2

Zag's story

Tak sat in the back corner of her cold cell shivering. She had been locked away forever, in one of the most formidable prisons. She wasn't really shivering from the cold; it was more from shock, fear of what was to become of her, lingering memories she'd rather forget.

"You all right?" a harsh voice called from the cell next to her. "Stop being such a coward, you'll get used to it."

Tak wasn't sure whether this was supposed to be reassuring or not. Shakily, she stood up and sauntered over to where the voice had come from. She carefully climbed up on her bed and peered through the small row of metal bars that lined the top of her cell. From here, Tak could just about see into the next dull cell.

In the dim light she could just make out another Irken slouched lazily on her own bed, who seemed to be about the same size as her. The Irken looked up at Tak and moved her head so that what little light there was caught her face.

She had dark turquoise eyes, which came to a point at the top outer corner, much like Tak's but split at the tip like pointy eyelashes. Her antennae shot back fiercely in a sharp lightening bolt shape, and She wore a dark turquoise/teal coloured invader outfit to match her eye colour. It was quite long, and split slightly at the sides at the bottom. She also wore heavy boots, with metal strips across the shin and the front-top of the foot.

Everything about her boasted what Tak guessed was her personality- edgy, solitary and yet somewhat miserable.

"My name's Zag." She said moving closer to where Tak stared at the unusual irken.

"I'm Tak." She replied uncertainly. She wasn't sure she liked the look of this Zag, but she needed a friend right now.

"So, what you in for?" Zag mused, smirking.

Tak looked away. "I...I'd rather not say." She muttered, ashamed of her failure.

Zag's smile disappeared instantly. "Fine then." She jumped down and turned her back on Tak, obviously irked.

'Nice going' Tak thought to herself. She huddled up on her cold bed (which wasn't really more than a metal shelf with a rough piece of material thrown over) to linger on her doomed future.

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"But what is it supposed to mean?" Zim yelled desperately.

"Insufficient data." The electronic voice replied.

"How am I supposed to know the first thing about this stupid human nonsense?" For quite some time now, Zim had been trying to figure how to complete his double homework. "All this so called 'human genius', how come it's so ingenious if I can't even understand it?"

He sighed and jumped off his computer chair. "I'm so fed up of this stinking planet of FILTH!" Zim glared at GIR as he walked past sucking on his suck monkey.

'If only I had some _real _help.' He thought to himself miserably. But there was no one on this stupid planet who would ever help him- he knew that for certain. But still he longed for companionship, no matter how loud his conscience yelled 'Irken invaders need NO ONE!'

Without answers, he trudged towards school, and his certain doom for not completing his extra homework.

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"Here." A deep voice echoed from somewhere beyond Tak's disturbed dreams. She groggily sat up rubbing her eyes, her body screaming with the pain from her injuries (the treatment she had received at the Massive had worn off) and having to sleep on such a horrible bed.

She looked over towards the door, and saw a small plate of food waiting for her. She didn't feel particularly hungry, but she knew she must be starving. Hesitantly she dragged herself over to the door, and carried the plate back to her bed.

It was some sort of stale irken food- nothing like the luxurious snacks invaders should get. She poked doubtfully at the lump of purplish food, which resembled something like lumpy dough, but rock hard. No matter how long she stared at it, she knew she wouldn't be able to bring herself to put it in her mouth.

Sighing, she lay down, thinking things through. 'I just can't go on like this, I won't survive a week in this place. If I ever meet Zim again I will pummel him until he looks worse than this food!' She smirked slightly at the thought of Zim reduced to a lump of goo.

She was brought out of this comforting thought abruptly as she realised she was being watched. She could just make out a glimmer of reflection from a pair of eyes, staring at her through the bars along the side of her cell. Zag was watching her with a bored look on her face.

"You gonna eat that?" She said once she realised she had caught Tak's attention. Tak was amazed she was talking to her after the previous conversation, but what else was there to do in this dump?

She got up and passed the questionable 'food' over. "Thanks." Zag scoffed it greedily. "It's really not so bad once you get used to the food round here."

"So... how long have you been here?" Tak asked, trying to make conversation.

"Hmmm, let me see...probably about...three years now." She replied casually.

"Three years? How do you cope?" Tak was astonished.

"Well, it was tough at first, but so am I." She grinned.

"So... why are you in here?" Tak said uncertainly, knowing the answer she'd get.

"Oh, I'd rather not say." Zag said sarcastically, doing an impression of Tak's earlier comment.

"Okay, I'm sorry. Its just...well, I-"Tak stumbled, unsure of what to say.

"It's okay." Zag interrupted. "I understand how you feel. Besides, there's no point in keeping a grudge in this place. How about we trade stories?" Tak smiled at the now friendly irken.

So she found herself spilling her heart out to Zag. She told her everything about how she had trained for years to be an invader just to have her future destroyed by Zim, about she had attempted to regain her mission and how Zim had miraculously stopped her again, and how she had been found and brought before her Tallest only to be thrown in jail.

Zag listened attentively without interrupting Tak. As she finished her story, Tak felt a great weight lifted off her shoulders. She looked over curiously at Zag. She was silently staring into space.

"So...what's your story?" her cold stare was making Tak uncomfortable, but this seemed to alert Zag back to reality.

"Alright, I'll tell you." Suddenly her voice didn't seem so cold and threatening, but emotional and trusting.

"It all started much like your story- I was training to be an Irken elite invader. I aced every trial they threw at me, passed all my military training courses with exceptional skill and ability. I knew I was talented, but I had a weakness- my temper. I wasn't one who likes to follow orders or stick to the rules.

"However I was still highly recommended to the _Tallest_" she spat the word out as if it were poison to her tongue. "So, reluctantly due to my height, they made me an official invader. I know I'm small, and that's what kept bugging me. It was holding me back. I had everything I could want apart from a decent height, which unfortunately for me counts for everything in our society. The Tallest noted this, picking on me for it. It was only my talent that got me the position of an invader.

"It was Impending Doom one. They sent me to Planet Corvastican- a miserable lump of rock. It's a luxury Irken leisure centre now." She added bitterly.

"I aced my mission in a matter of days. Those pathetic simpletons. They just didn't see it coming. Didn't see me coming." She smirked, visualising the planet's destruction. Tak wasn't sure she wanted to know what she had done to the planet.

"Yes, I used illegal methods, and yes I know I was only supposed to observe the planet for weaknesses, but the anger inside of me- I knew I needed no help to destroy the planet. Part of me thinks I did it because I was angry at my height, but I know that I was really trying to prove my worthiness to the Tallest. I did an excellent job, and they knew it!

"But, the TALLEST!" she fumed, fists clenched tight, eyes burning with a horrific rage. "Just as always they ignored all the great things I had accomplished, and magnified the fact that I had broken so many rules." She paused to breathe.

"I grew more and more angry with each put down." She continued, calmer and quieter now. "I continued to break more and more rules from my burning hatred- just as they knew I would. They knew that if they kept provoking me soon I would go too far...and I did." Tak watched her with a mixture of fear and sympathy.

There was a small silence while Zag glared past Tak, unable to meet her eyes.

"So they locked me here, so they could claim all my great achievements as their own, and never have to look at me again."

"What...what was it that you did?" Tak whispered, unsure if it was the right thing to ask.

Zag didn't say a word. She turned her back to Tak and went to the farthest dark corner of her cell and curled up, the shadows blanketing her.

Tak could just see the glimmer of a single tear running down Zag's tortured face, as a small sobbing echoed throughout the cold chambers.


	3. A plan for escape

_Once again sorry about the lack of update, but I had a lot of coursework (glares at coursework) Anyway I own the character Zag. Enjoy!_

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Chapter 3

A Plan for escape

Over the next few days, Tak and Zag became quite close, gossiping about their misfortune in life and other various issues. One particularly boring day, when it seemed they'd exhausted every topic, Zag came out with something which caught Tak completely off guard.

"So, when do you wanna get out of this dump?" she said casually.

"Huh?" Tak tried to process what she had just said.

"When do you wanna break out?"

"But...but how?"

"Listen," she lowered her voice, "quite a while ago- about a year or so ago - I befriended a Vortian who used to work in this prison as a guard. He had broken one too many rules- sorta like myself- and been locked away in the very prison he worked at. Kinda stupid idea whoever decided that he would come here, but it worked out pretty well for me.

"He was kept in your cell, and we became close. He told me everything I needed to know about secret passages, security, and codes- until I literally had a perfect map of this place in my head! He said that the only thing he couldn't do was open the door. If I could do that we would have been out of there in no time.

"So I set to work on a plan to break the door open. We were going to break out together- he had the ability to get out of this dump in record time without anyone even noticing, and I figured I could find a way to bust the doors open. But before we could even attempt it he was taken away, and I never saw him again. I don't know what happened to him, but I've been working on getting the door open ever since."

"Wow." Tak was amazed she hadn't said anything about this sooner. "So do you know how to get the door open yet?"

"Uhuh. Sheesh it took forever. Top security." She glared at the door.

"How? How do you do it?" urged Tak, excited at the thought of leaving.

Zag jumped off the bed and knelt on the floor. She carefully lifted one of the tiles, so as not to make a sound, and rummaged through the contents of the now visible hole in the ground.

Tak craned her neck trying desperately to see what Zag was up to. After some time she got to her feet, a small item in her hands. It vaguely resembled some sort of laser gun, with a sharp point on the end.

Although it looked quite scruffy and grubby, it was impressive.

"You made that?" Tak gasped in awe.

"Yup." Zag replied, fiddling with the controls.

"But what did you make it out of?"

"Oh you know, bits of stuff." This didn't exactly help, but Tak guessed if she'd been in here three years she would have have to of found something to do.

"How does it work?" Tak inquired.

"It sends a vartoz ray into a solid when at a certain setting. The intensity of the ray makes the solid crumble, so it should- if it works- cut through the lock."

"Wow" Tak could see why she had been so highly recommended to the tallest despite her height. She really was incredibly skilled. "Why didn't you escape sooner?"

"I needed backup," she grinned at Tak. "I could never get out of here on my own!"

"Well I'm glad you waited! I would never be able to build something like that." She was still astonished at the weapon Zag had constructed.

"So, are you prepared to give it a shot?" Zag asked eagerly.

"Definitely- like I'd want to stay in this place!"

So Zag spent hours going through everything she remembered about the security and layout of the prison that the Vortian had shared with her, and how they might escape themselves.

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While things were finally looking up for Tak, things definitely weren't going so well for Zim. He had watched in horror as Ms Bitters spelled out his punishment for missing the homework deadline.

The only thing that was going well was that Dib hadn't bothered him for almost a week- a world record.

Dib had in reality become fed up of chasing after Zim. No matter how hard he tried to prove Zim an alien, all he ever did was humiliate himself, and lately the snide comments had got harsher and more painful.

Also Zim's plans for world conquest had got more and more pathetic with every attempt. He did not need to even try and stop him- eventually either Zim's plans would explode, be meddled with by GIR or just be so absurd that they would never work in the first place.

So Dib concluded that he would keep his distance for a while- he knew that Zim would never be able to destroy the earth, and since earth didn't seem to care, it could defend it's self for once. He was through protecting the people he hated most.

Deep down, Dib knew that he needed a friend, but like Zim there just wasn't anyone. Dib considered this as he trudged down the road after Skool. He didn't realise it, but he was actually not heading home- he had unconsciously had a different destination in mind.

When he finally came to a halt, he found himself outside Zim's house. 'Why did I come here?' he thought to himself. Not knowing quite what to do he turned and headed home, still contemplating why he had ended up outside the surreal green house.

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"So it's all set then?" Zag confirmed.

"Yeah, I think I know what to do." Tak said unsure.

"Look, you've got to have confidence! You've got to be certain you know what you're doing or we won't get anywhere!"

"Ok, ok. Let's just do this." As far as Tak was concerned, the sooner she was out of this place the better. Zag nodded in agreement and set to work powering up her vartoz ray.

Tak thought for while as the low humming from the ray grew louder. "Won't they hear that?" she asked nervously.

"Who? It's not like they hang around right outside, and besides these doors are pretty thick. All the same, once we're out we should keep quiet- although they're dumb, it probably won't take them long to notice the doors have fallen off."

"But why don't they do anything to prevent conspiracy? I mean if we couldn't talk to each other there's no way we would be able to get out." Tak inquired, vaguely suspicious.

"They're too confident of themselves. They believe that their prison is completely secure, and that no one could ever break out- probably because no one ever has."

"Surely people have broken out in the past?"

"Hmm, I wouldn't be surprised if they've never encountered a jail break before. Most of the prisoners they get are pretty stupid." She gestured towards a blob like creature who could just about be seen through the bars in Zag's cell. It had a completely empty expression on its face and was drooling slightly. Tak and Zag exchanged looks and tried desperately to suppress a snigger.

A small high-pitched beep came from the vartoz ray, signalling that it was ready for use. Tak gulped as Zag beamed eagerly. She placed the tip of the ray at the top of the door and flipped the switch on.

A blazing turquoise light shot out of the end, and dove straight into the doorframe. A slight grinding could be heard as the beam ate through the dense metal. Zag forced the beam down the along the edge of the door, increasing the intensity as she went.

The wait was intense. Cold beads of sweat formed across Zag's forehead as she struggled with the ray. At last she stopped, and pulled it away from the door. She glanced over to Tak and whispered, "This is it, you know what to do."

Although she appeared confident in every way, Tak could have sworn that she had detected a hint of nerves in Zag's voice.

Cautiously, Zag pushed against the cold door, still gripping the vartoz ray tightly in her gloved hand. It creaked as it slowly heaved open, the sound of metal screeching against the floor alerting every prisoner in the vaccinity.

A faint whispering arose, echoing around the cells, mostly along the lines of "What is she doing?" "Someone's escaping!" "Is she going to get us all out?" in all different languages, most of which Tak couldn't understand.

Zag scowled at all the eyes peering through narrow gaps in the doors from beyond the dark cells. Many prisoners were begging quietly for her to let them out. She had known this might be a problem.

"You can all forget it and shut up, you'll get us caught!" she snapped as quietly as she could. With that the voices were raised- she'd said the wrong thing. She hurried over to Tak's door and activated the vartoz beam once more.

"We shall get you caught unless you let us out!" a screeching voice rang from somewhere close by. Tak could tell it wasn't going well. She scrambled out hesitantly as Zag heaved the door open.

"Lets go! Fast!" Zag was frightened now, and this didn't raise Tak's hopes. She knew that the consequences if they were caught would be far worse than being thrown away in jail.

It felt weird to run after being confined in such a small area for so long. Her legs felt shaky, like they might give up on her any moment.

Despite the perfect plan of the building she had created in her mind from Zag's elaborate description, everything seemed so different from what she had imagined. The dank, murky corridors reeked of fear and desperation, lost hope and depression. She stayed close at Zag's heels, anxious that they might become separated. They turned sharply around a corner and found themselves on top of a towering bridge.

Zag paused, looking down through the metal meshing floor of the platform. A complex network of other bridges criss-crossed across a vast chamber. The bottom could not be seen- it just seemed to go on forever. Tak poked her, bringing Zag back into the mission.

They hastened across the walkway until they came to another door. Zag took a deep breath and stepped tentatively forward- she prayed that they had not changed the code that would unlock this obstacle.

She began to type four Irken numbers into the pad. "Herx, quartan, juplay, gantron." She murmured under her breath, reciting the numbers like a poem she had memorised so long ago.

She sighed with relief as the combination of numbers was accepted and the door complied, the locks clunking open. They slipped through as the door slid silently open, into a blue lit corridor.

Here they were faced with multiple options for direction, but they raced down the furthest right passage before the door had even closed. Tak began to feel more confident now. They had not yet encountered any trouble or difficulty, and the brightness of the passageway raised her spirits after spending weeks in such a dull place.

Zag's speed surprised Tak; she would have thought that after having nowhere to run for three years surely she would have become unfit.

The corridor was also much warmer, and the floor was carpeted- she noted these things as they ran down the seemingly endless path. However Tak had been foolish to relax and let her guard down. Now her antennae twitched ever so slightly as she sensed another being advancing towards them from the direction they had just come.

Tak spun round, terrified of what she might lay her eyes upon. She could not see very far down the corridor, as it curved slightly, but she could not detect anyone. Nevertheless she could now hear the footsteps of a hefty creature heading at an increasing speed towards them.

"Zag, what are we going to-"she turned back to Zag but she was nowhere in sight. "Zag? ZAG!" she panicked. Surely she had not left her? Where could she be?But she hadn't continued down the corridor- it was impossible that she had run _that _fast.

Tak knew she could not outrun the approaching creature now, whatever or whoever it was, so she stood watching in pure fear as it's shadow gradually grew against the wall as it neared the corner to seal her doom...

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_I love leaving it on a cliffhanger. Mwahahaha. Wow I'm in a strange mood. Erm... yup. I'm gonna go eat food now._


	4. Into Space

_Thanks to everyone who's been reading this so far! Sorry for the major lack of update as well, coursework sucks. I only own the character Zag. Enjoy!_

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Chapter 4

Into space

Tak stared desperately at the growing shadow that fell against the wall as the creature advanced towards her. She was completely frozen to the spot; the dread of her fate fusing her to the ground- her fear overwhelming.

She felt a slight tugging on the back of her clothes. 'Oh no, I've been captured!' she thought franticly, but before she could turn around to look at her captor she was being viciously dragged backwards, causing her to stumble. Just as she expected to feel the harsh floor slam against her back, she realised she was falling further than she should have been.

She landed relatively softly- she hadn't fallen that far. She looked around, trying to make sense of what had just happened to her. She was sitting in a very small, dark area, (about a metre lower than she had just been) with a small grate at the top- the one she had fallen through.

Confused, Tak shakily stood up, and felt someone next to her. She jumped, but a pair of hands kept her firmly to the spot. Tak saw a glimmer of light reflect off a pair of teal eyes, and knew instantly that Zag hadn't abandoned her- she had just saved her life!

'How could I have been so stupid! Not only did I just stand there and wait for them to catch me, but I thought Zag had betrayed me.' Tak thought guiltily.

Tak moved closer to the grate, so she could see the creature that had nearly caught her as it came into view. Gazing nervously through the metal bars, she could just make out a towering figure- a repulsive one. It was a grotty purplish colour, with an unusually contorted long face. Its face held four tiny eyes which glinted evilly, razor sharp teeth that poked out from its lips and stubby toes could just be made out from its huge feet.

Her heart skipped a beat as it paused right in front of the grate, searching the corridor for movement. Just when she felt sure they would be discovered the hideous Vortian moved on, back the way it had come.

Tak gasped, wiping the cold sweat from her forehead. Zag gave her a smug grin.

"Thanks!" Tak said, still shaken by the event.

"Why were you just standing there anyway?" Zag inquired, proud that she had saved Tak.

"I...I don't know, I didn't think I could get away in time."

"Well if you thought you were truly done for you should have at least gone down with a fight! Come on, let's get out of here."

Careful not to make a sound they climbed out of the grate, and continued swiftly down the passage. Within minutes of running down long corridors and slipping silently through doors, they had finally reached their destination.

They stood before a tall metal door, it's large handle just above their heads. Cautiously Zag reached up, heaving down on the handle as the mechanism within the door clunked softly. As it slowly swung open, they stepped in, pausing to catch their breath.

"We...we did it!" Tak gasped.

"We're not out yet." Zag grinned, and walked on. They were in a huge cargo hold, cluttered with all types of ships. They were mostly vortian ships, which were just as big and ugly as their owners, but there was one vessel that particularly stood out from the rest.

It was a modern Irken voot cruiser, made from a beautiful lustrous metal, sleek and smooth for speed, and without even the tiniest of dents. Its paint was a exquisite shiny blue, which sparkled in the starlight.

"Come on, let's take this one!" Zag said staring intently at the ship. She eagerly began to fiddle with the lock, and by the time Tak was by her side she had the door open. It was a tight squeeze with both of them inside, but they had no choice.

"I'm guessing you know exactly how to pilot one of these?" Tak said confidently.

Zag just grinned at her. She fired up the little voot's engines and expertly manoeuvred the ship out of the port and into the Vortian atmosphere. It flew swiftly and speedily, soaring through the starlit sky.

Tak gasped in awe as she looked out of the window. She hadn't even glimpsed outside since she had been taken into the horrible prison, and now she couldn't get enough of the clear sky. However, suddenly her gaze turned to a much less inviting sight.

"Zag..." she whispered fearfully, "Zag! They're shooting at us!" Zag turned. The defences to the prison were firing at their little ship, large lasers barely missing them. No doubt they were programmed to destroy any ship that tried to leave if permission to depart was not given.

If they were hit, which seemed likely to Tak, they would most definitely be obliterated. Zag, seeing Tak's terrified expression said, "Don't worry, we'll get away no problem!" And with that she powered the ships engines to full speed and shot towards deep space, narrowly dodging the lasers.

Tak sat sinking her claws into the seat, holding back a wave of nausea as the ship dove and spun. When at last they cleared the planet and its weapons, she exploded with amazement.

"That was...it was...WOW! How did you learn to fly like that!?" Tak stuttered in admiration.

"Oh you know, same place most Irkens do!" she stated matter-of-factly. "So, where are we going?" Tak had to admit, she hadn't thought this far ahead. She had been sure that she would never see the stars again.

"I don't know, I hadn't really thought much about that..."

"Well, what were you doing before you were arrested?" Zag asked.

That immediately brought back all Tak's memories of how Zim had humiliated her, and how she had so badly yearned for revenge. She could feel the anger that had been replaced by fear and depression returning, and fuelling her confidence.

"Errr... you thought of something?" Zag asked nervously as she looked at the expression of pure hatred on Taks face.

"Zim." Was all she needed to say.

"Oh. You wanna go and get revenge after what he's done to you." Tak nodded.

"But it's not just that. I will prove myself to the tallest by showing them how easily I can destroy the planet by myself, and I will regain my honour as an Irken Invader by defeating _Zim,_" she shuddered at saying the name, "for my Tallest."

"But I thought it was purely about revenge?" Zag inquired, inquisitive about this new side of Tak.

"No, they will catch me eventually. I need to show the Tallest that I am worthy or they will just lock me up in that place again, or worse!" she ranted, her fists clenched. "They are desperate to get rid of him. If I do that, they will pardon me for sure!"

"Wow, that sounds pretty good. Do you think I could help?"

Tak thought about this. She could certainly use Zag's great talent. After all, last time she had been defeated by Zim because he was helped by those pitiful humans. But there was no way he could beat her _and _Zag.

"It's just that all I ever wanted was for my talent to be recognised, for the Tallest to accept me. Maybe if I can prove myself they will."

Tak nodded. "I could definitely use your skill and resourcefulness. It's a deal!" Tak agreed.

"Well...there was another thing. I was hoping that we could pick up a friend of mine first."

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Somewhere, millions of miles away, Zim, who was completely unaware of the plot to destroy him, was dealing with problems of his own. He felt completely alone in this world- everyone either ignored him or bullied him. Skool had gone from boring to unbearable, what with all the detentions and homework. If only someone would explain this stupid maths in simple Irken!

He sighed heavily. All these problems, he'd never encountered them before. Especially the part about wanting a friend.

What was he going to do?

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_Once again, sorry about the delay, I'm going to try and go a little bit faster now! Please review!_


	5. New Recruits

_Sorry I haven't updated this in like months but I was kinda fed up with this story. Anyway it's the Easter holidays (happy Easter people!) and I'm kinda bored so I'm going to try and get some more of this written. Oh yeah, and someone asked if this was going to be ZATR, sorry but it's not! It is going to get a little bit OOC, but not that much I hope. I own the characters Kat, Zag and Tera. Read and review please!_

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Chapter 5 

New Recruits

"So… who is this friend of yours?" Tak enquired as the ship sped towards its destination.

"Her name is Tera. She is a bit like me, only more sensible." Zag grinned at Tak. "She's done some amazing things, she has so much skill and intelligence. She's even really tall." Zag described, a wistful note in her voice. "I bet your thinking, man what I wouldn't do to have all that, but you're wrong. The Tallest have it in for her."

Tak looked up, surprised by this. "Don't look too surprised. Just think about it. Her job is- or was- to be one of the Tallest's advisors. They always seemed to be rewarding her for the achievements she made and because of how tall she was. But one day that all changed. She heard them talking about her. Red was saying that at the rate she was growing that one day soon Tera would be taller than them, and that would mean they would be out of a job." Zag smirked at the idea of the Tallest no longer being superior.

"So they thought they would get rid of her, hide her away and they would never have to worry about it again. But that's what they thought about me!" She grinned at Tak.

"Wow, I never thought about it that way before. So what did they do with her? And how did you meet?"

"They sent her to planet Canarn which is much like Vort. The only difference is that instead of living the rest of her days in a dank cell like we were supposed to, here she would have to do work, and hard work at that.

"I met her at this terrible place, and she told me all about how she had been treated by the Tallest. We became close much like you and I have done. However I was only being kept there for a limited amount of time, and I never managed to escape with her."

"Why were you being held there?" Tak inquired.

"Oh, you know. Rule breaking and stuff. The Tallest kept trying to get rid of me but could never manage to get me put away for life."

"But how do you know she will still be there?" Tak asked, nervous they would just end up in more trouble.

"Oh she will be. The Tallest are keeping her there for good. In fact they've probably completely forgotten about her already." Zag looked at Tak and noticed the look of apprehension on her face. "Don't worry, I won't get you into any more trouble. This will be easy." Zag smiled confidently.

"_Approaching planet Canarn" _the ships computerised voice alerted them. They both looked out of the window to see the huge planet looming ever closer.

"Excellent." Zag said to herself as she worked furiously with the ships controls. "As much as I like this ship we're going to need to take a bigger one. It's hard enough to fit two of us in here."

Tak nodded. She did need to get out of this small space.

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Zim sighed. He had skipped School today. He knew he would probably just get into more trouble but he couldn't take another day of being shouted at and picked on. He prodded hesitantly at his latest device built for destroying Earth. No matter what he did it just wouldn't work. He tossed it aside and went up to the house to see what GIR was doing.

As usual GIR was stuck to the television, only this time he was actually stuck. The crazy robot had somehow managed to glue himself to the screen whilst making a makeshift kite.

"Hiya master!" He greeted cheerfully. Zim shook his head and went to collapse onto the sofa.

Just as hestarted to relaxthe doorbell rang, alerting Zim to his senses. Pondering why the gnomes hadn't stopped the intruder he went to the door and cautiously opened it.

"Dib." He said simply, loathing in his voice. "I'm really not in the mood for one of your pitiful attempts of trying to save the Earth so be gone with you!"

Dib scowled, ignoring him. "I was just wondering why you weren't at School today." He asked curiously.

"That's none of your business _human._" Zim spat with distaste.

"Whatever Zim. Don't you think this has gone far enough?" Zim looked at him quizzically. "The whole, you come up with some stupid plan and I stop you. Haven't you had enough yet?"

"Don't try to trick me you horrible stink- beast, I **will **destroy your Earth and all it's pitiful creatures." And with that Zim slammed the door in Dib's face.He sighed.Dib knew Zim would probably never give in. In fact he was surprised he had given in himself.

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Zag carefully landed the ship in the hanger and silently climbed out, Tak close at her heels. They searched around for a while until they found a suitable ship. It was another Irken ship, but much bigger.

"This one will fit more than enough of us in. It won't be as nice to drive though." Zag glanced longingly back at their previous ship. "Anyway," Zag continued, tearing her eyes away, "You stand guard hear and try to figure out a way to open this thing, and warn me if anything happens."

"How do you know where to find Tera?" Tak asked incredulously at Zag's confidence. Two jail breaks in one day!

"Don't worry about it, I know this place like the back of my hand, and trust me, it won't be difficult to get her out." Tak nodded as she ran off, pondering about how the Tallest could possibly ignore such talent.

Tak turned around to inspect the door on the voot. 'It shouldn't be too difficult.' She pondered, wondering how Zag had opened the previous ship. She removed her glove and carefully ran her claw along the rim of the door until she felt where the lock was. She stood up and looked around the hanger. It was quite small, but there were lots of ships packed in, and of all different types.

Zag was right, the security was pathetic. Had this been an Irken planet they probably would have been sentenced by now. Tak looked around until she found a piece of scrap metal with a sharp edge to it. 'Perfect!' Careful not to cut herself she carried her makeshift tool back to their selected ship and ran the sharp edge along the lock like a saw. It was tough going, but it was working.

Just as Tak had cut through the lock and stood up to ease her aching wrist someone burst through the doors and ran heavily over to her. She started, but soon realised it was only Zag.Zag ran up to her and bent over, trying desperately to catch her breath.

"I jammed the door, they won't get through for some time." An Irken said as she sprinted over to join them. She was tall and lanky, just over twice the height of Tak. She had pinky-red eyes with black lashes, very long antennae that went into a neat circular curl at the end and a smart uniform that showed she was an advisor to the Tallest. Or at least that she used to be.

Zag took a deep breath and straightened up. "This is Tera. Tera, this is Tak." Tera smiled at them. "And this, is Kat." Tak looked as another Irken appeared from behind Tera. She was a little bit smaller than Tak, and looked very nervous. She had bright turquoise eyes with little black eyelashes, antennae that resembled Tak's only the curl went in the shape of a triangle and a blue invaders uniform which came to a point at the front and split into two points at the back.

"Hi" she said between deep breaths.

"Hi," Tak replied. "What happened Zag?" Tak asked, regarding the fact that all three looked like they'd had a rough time.

"I'll explain on the way, I think we'd better get out of her. I trust you've been able to open this?" Zag moved towards the ship.

"Only just, I wish I was more like you." Tak replied.

"Trust me, you don't." This puzzled Tak, but there wasn't time to think about it. She could here the telltale sounds of machinery trying to hack through the doors.

They all clambered into the ship, Zag and Tera taking the main controls. They worked furiously to get the ship up andworking, and before they knew it they were flying out of the hanger at a phenomenal speed. Tak and Kat grabbed onto the remaining seats and hastily strapped themselves in. Once again Tak found that they were being fired at, but once again she found Zag skilfully manoeuvring the ship out of the way.

Tak looked over at Kat curiously. Where had this Irken come from and how come Zag had brought her? What would they all do now? Would they help her gain revenge? It was then that Tak realised. She had said to Zag that she was trying to prove herself worthy to the Tallest by completing this mission. Zag's and Tera's stories had been basically like hers- they had been put down by the Tallest. They were probably looking to regain their positions and be respected by their leaders just as she was. Tak wondered how it would work with this many Irkens, but surely it meant that Zim could not possibly escape.

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_Sorry if that wasn't so good, but I haven't written for quite a long time! Please review!_


	6. Kat's Story

_Sorry it's a short chapter, but I wanted to get this one sent with the previous one, to make up for not updating in so long. I own the characters Kat, Zag and Tera. Read and review please!_

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Chapter 6

Kat's Story

Tak shakily got up off her seat after Zag and Tera's impressive but nauseating driving of the ship, and unsteadily made her way over to Tera and Zag. She supported herself against the control panel, careful not to press anything that would affect the ship. Looking out she could see nothing but open space- a sight that was still a luxury to her after being shut away for so long.

Zag sat back. "It's wonderful to be able to see the stars again isn't it?" she sighed. Tak realised how much longer it had been for Zag, and felt ashamed for being so pitiful. "Well we got out of that one a bit closely didn't we?" Tak jumped as Zag returned to her usual spirited self.

"Just what happened back there anyway?"

"Well, I managed to get Tera out of her bonds, but then she insisted that we take her friend as well." Kat who was sitting quietly at the back blushed lightly. Zag seemed to note this, "Don't worry, we got away didn't we?" Kat smiled feebly.

"Anyway, I managed to free Kat as well, and we were just creeping away when the guard spotted us. We ran like hell, but he called for back up and we had a narrow escape thanks to Tera's quick thinking." Tera smiled at this. "When we finally got back to the hanger they were right on our heels, and I thought for sure they would stop us. But, once again Tera came to the rescue and jammed the door so they couldn't get in. God only knows how you do these things Tera." She looked up admiringly at her.

"It was nothing. Thanks for coming back for me, I never thought I would see you again." Tera beamed, obviously glad to be away from her prison and back in familiar company. "The work they make you do in that place," she shuddered, rubbing her sore limbs. She looked in poor shape- she was very thin and covered with cuts and bruises. Her proud clothes had many tears in, and was stained with who knew what.

"Let's go see if there's a sick bay or something on this ship, we need to clean you up. Tak you stay with Kat and watch the controls." Zag ordered. Tak had to admit, she didn't like being ordered around, after all this was her mission now. Letting it go she turned to Kat.

"So what's your story?" Tak inquired. Still no one had told her who Kat was or why she was here, apart from that she was Tera's friend. Kat looked up, surprised.

"What's the matter?" Tak asked.

"Oh, nothing. I'll tell you my story if you want." She shuffled, looking uncomfortable. "My dream was always to be an Irken elite invader. I trained hard and was alwaysloyal to my Tallest. I wasn't perfect, not like Tera or Zag. I made some mistakes, but I could have been an invader, I really could of. The Tallest, they just never gave me a chance. I was too small, and that's all they cared about. So they dumped me in that terrible place." She shivered at the thought. Looking closely at her, she wasn't in much better shape than Tera-covered in injuries.

Tak shook her head. It seemed the Tallest had done what they'd done to her to many people. They never gave Irkens a chance to prove themselves worthy, but with this mission complete they could not, would not ignore them!

Zag entered the room, pausing to look around. "Everything alright?" She said wearily. They had all had a rough day.

"Yeah. I think Kat could use some treatment too." Tak replied.

"N-no, I'm alright. Really!" Kat whimpered.

"No Kat, I can treat you. You definitely need it. Tera told me all about you. We've all been treated the same way you haveby the Tallest, so we know how you feel." Tak was surprised by Zag's sudden tenderness, and watched thoughtfully as she escorted Kat out of the room. "You should get some rest too you know. We all should." She shouted back over her shoulder.

Tak nodded. She would need her strength, for tomorrow they began their journey to Earth.


End file.
